"Forget the lies you heard
Rise above the hurt
And listen to these words
You are beloved" ~ "Beloved"-Jordan Feliz
When I listened to this song one day last month and decided to use it for a blog post, my plan was to reach out to all those who were feeling unloved for one reason or another. There have been times when I myself needed that reminder, and my first name is derived from the old French word for beloved, so naturally this song is one that is very meaningful to me. I knew it could be that way for anyone who needed a reminder of God's love for them. However, the events of last month's special General Conference of the United Methodist Church has caused me to narrow my focus to one specific group.
For those unfamiliar with what happened, the conference was called in order to address issues relating to human sexuality, specifically whether or not to allow practicing homosexuals to be ordained as clergy, and whether or not same-sex weddings can be held on church property or officiated by clergy members. Both of these things are currently banned under the policies in the UMC Book of Discipline. There were three plans that were looked at: One Church, Connectional Conference, and Traditional. The One Church plan allowed annual conferences and local churches within the United States to make their own decisions, with other countries continuing to operate under the current Book of Discipline. The Connectional Conference plan would replace the five jurisdictional conferences in the United States with three connectional conferences: progressive, unity, and traditional. The Traditional plan, which was anonymously submitted to the committee that created the other two plans, would not change anything in the Book of Discipline, but would increase enforcement for violating the policies in it. Many people in America, myself included, thought the One Church plan was the best option because it allowed pastors and bishops to prayerfully consider their own decision rather than having the decision forced upon them. However, the UMC is a global denomination, and a majority of delegates from other countries voted for the Traditional plan, which ultimately passed. (Those who wish to know more about this can find additional information here.)
While the adoption of the Traditional plan doesn't ban homosexual people from the church, I can understand how it can be seen that way. Being able to join, but having limited leadership options and an inability to marry the love of your life in your own church could prevent some from joining in the first place. This bothers me because this can prevent people from hearing the good news, and I am against anything that hinders people from knowing the Savior I know. Jesus came and died for everyone, not just the elite or the perfect. In fact, many of the elite in His day refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah, and many of them considered themselves to be perfect.
The main reason for the Traditional plan and the support behind it is the scriptures that state that homosexuality is a sin. However, most of the scriptures in question deal with lusting after someone of the same gender, not falling in love with them. For example, Romans 1:26-27 states, "Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another." The key word in this passage is exchanged. These were heterosexual men and women who suddenly became consumed with lust for each other. This is much different than someone who never was attracted to someone of the other sex, but is attracted to or currently in a relationship with someone of the same sex. For them, being in a heterosexual relationship would be unnatural. Another often quoted passage is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, told in Genesis 19. Angels come to visit Lot and his family and tell them of the coming destruction, and men from town come and ask him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."(verse 5). Clearly, this is not a request based off of attraction, but rather lust and a drive for power.
One verse of the song "We are the Church" states, "The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people." So on behalf of all the people of the United Methodist Church who disagree with this decision, I'm here to tell you that you are loved by God, no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, and no matter who you love. There may be people who try to tell you that you are unworthy, but you are beloved by the creator of the universe.
Rise above the hurt
And listen to these words
You are beloved" ~ "Beloved"-Jordan Feliz
When I listened to this song one day last month and decided to use it for a blog post, my plan was to reach out to all those who were feeling unloved for one reason or another. There have been times when I myself needed that reminder, and my first name is derived from the old French word for beloved, so naturally this song is one that is very meaningful to me. I knew it could be that way for anyone who needed a reminder of God's love for them. However, the events of last month's special General Conference of the United Methodist Church has caused me to narrow my focus to one specific group.
For those unfamiliar with what happened, the conference was called in order to address issues relating to human sexuality, specifically whether or not to allow practicing homosexuals to be ordained as clergy, and whether or not same-sex weddings can be held on church property or officiated by clergy members. Both of these things are currently banned under the policies in the UMC Book of Discipline. There were three plans that were looked at: One Church, Connectional Conference, and Traditional. The One Church plan allowed annual conferences and local churches within the United States to make their own decisions, with other countries continuing to operate under the current Book of Discipline. The Connectional Conference plan would replace the five jurisdictional conferences in the United States with three connectional conferences: progressive, unity, and traditional. The Traditional plan, which was anonymously submitted to the committee that created the other two plans, would not change anything in the Book of Discipline, but would increase enforcement for violating the policies in it. Many people in America, myself included, thought the One Church plan was the best option because it allowed pastors and bishops to prayerfully consider their own decision rather than having the decision forced upon them. However, the UMC is a global denomination, and a majority of delegates from other countries voted for the Traditional plan, which ultimately passed. (Those who wish to know more about this can find additional information here.)
While the adoption of the Traditional plan doesn't ban homosexual people from the church, I can understand how it can be seen that way. Being able to join, but having limited leadership options and an inability to marry the love of your life in your own church could prevent some from joining in the first place. This bothers me because this can prevent people from hearing the good news, and I am against anything that hinders people from knowing the Savior I know. Jesus came and died for everyone, not just the elite or the perfect. In fact, many of the elite in His day refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah, and many of them considered themselves to be perfect.
The main reason for the Traditional plan and the support behind it is the scriptures that state that homosexuality is a sin. However, most of the scriptures in question deal with lusting after someone of the same gender, not falling in love with them. For example, Romans 1:26-27 states, "Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another." The key word in this passage is exchanged. These were heterosexual men and women who suddenly became consumed with lust for each other. This is much different than someone who never was attracted to someone of the other sex, but is attracted to or currently in a relationship with someone of the same sex. For them, being in a heterosexual relationship would be unnatural. Another often quoted passage is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, told in Genesis 19. Angels come to visit Lot and his family and tell them of the coming destruction, and men from town come and ask him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."(verse 5). Clearly, this is not a request based off of attraction, but rather lust and a drive for power.
One verse of the song "We are the Church" states, "The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people." So on behalf of all the people of the United Methodist Church who disagree with this decision, I'm here to tell you that you are loved by God, no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, and no matter who you love. There may be people who try to tell you that you are unworthy, but you are beloved by the creator of the universe.
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